This invention relates to a sifter fitment and closure for necked containers, and more particularly, to a child resistant sifter fitment and closure which is operable to an open position solely through the application of a compressive force to a particular portion of the side wall of the fitment.
There has been a large number of disclosures in the prior art of so-called child resistant or safety closures for necked containers which have incorporated a closure body portion and an integrally molded, hinged locking flap portion co-operating with the body portion to effect the closing of one or more dispensing openings in the panel of the body portion. Typical of such prior art disclosures are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,872 to Townes; 3,927,805 to Stull; and 4,022,352 to Pehr. The safety feature embodied in each of these prior art safety closure constructions is the necessity for the application by the fingers of a significant downward force to a specific location on the top wall of the closure. In all cases, however, the closure is opened by an upward pivoting movement of the integral locking flap, thus exposing one or more dispensing openings in the top panel portion of the closure. When the dispensing openings are in the form of a plurality of small openings, such as are normally found in a sifter fitment, the closure is awkward to use because the integral locking flap is normally hanging in a position directly in the path of the granular products shaken through the dispensing openings in the closure panel. Moreover, it has been recognized that the actuation of this type of safety closure by a vertically applied force may inadvertently occur through a child banging the container with the closure attached against a hard surface in such manner that a downward opening force of the proper magnitude is applied to the proper spot of the safety closure. The possibility of such inadvertent opening of the closure by children significantly limits the usefullness of such prior art safety closure constructions.
In my co-pending application, Ser. No. 044,871, filed June 1, 1979, which is assigned to the assignee of this application, there is disclosed and claimed a safety closure construction wherein a segment of the annular wall of the closure is depressible by a compression action of the fingers to effect the release of co-operating latching surfaces holding the pivoted locking flap in a closed position. This construction requires not only the application of a compression force by the fingers but the concurrent application of a lifting force on the free end of the locking flap to effect the opening of the closure. Nevertheless, when applied to a sifter fitment type of closure, the locking flap still remains in a dangling position relative to the dispensing openings, interfering with the dispensing of the granular container products.